Legal scholar and governance expert, Prof. Kwaku Asare (Kwaku Azar), has criticised former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum over remarks describing some university programmes as “useless” and “degrees to nowhere”, arguing that the characterisation is unfortunate and overly simplistic.
In a Facebook post, Prof. Asare took issue with comments attributed to Dr Adutwum, in which he reportedly described Development Studies at the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the BA Education (Non-Teaching) programme at the University of Ghana as disciplines that do not adequately equip graduates for the labour market.
The comments, which have since sparked debate on social media, were made by Dr Adutwum during an appearance on the Konnected Minds Podcast, where he questioned the labour market relevance of some university programmes.
Prof. Asare, however, argued that while universities must be held accountable for graduate outcomes, it is wrong to dismiss entire academic disciplines as “useless”.
He noted that university education should not be judged solely by whether a programme leads directly to a specific job, stressing that many disciplines are designed to build transferable competencies such as critical thinking, research, communication, policy analysis, project management and problem-solving.
He explained that Development Studies graduates, for example, are employed in government, NGOs, international organisations, development finance, consulting and research roles, while graduates of BA Education (Non-Teaching) also contribute to educational policy, curriculum development, administration, assessment, educational technology, human resource development and public service.
According to him, the real issue is not whether a discipline has value, but whether universities are equipping students with skills that match evolving labour market demands.
Prof. Asare called for stronger accountability in tertiary education, including publication of graduate employment outcomes, regular curriculum reviews, labour-market forecasting, and greater emphasis on digital, analytical and entrepreneurial skills across disciplines.
He also cautioned against over-attributing graduate unemployment to universities alone, noting that broader economic conditions significantly influence job creation and absorption of skilled labour.
“A weak economy can produce unemployed engineers, lawyers, accountants, doctors, and computer scientists just as easily as unemployed humanities graduates,” he argued.
He concluded that improving graduate outcomes requires both education reform and broader economic transformation, adding that political systems must also be strengthened to deliver meaningful development rather than becoming “machines of patronage, profiteering, polarization, and propaganda.”
